Clifton duck stamp
What's wrong with this painting? (Courtesy Richard Clifton)
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The US Fish and Wildlife Service asked the artists entering this year’s duck stamp competition to work with theme, waterfowl hunting. That hasn’t been popular in the artistic community.

Some artists feel sidelined by the decision. Last year, the [US Fish and Wildlife Service] requested the artists’ thoughts on the new rule. Most people opposed it, but the USFWS “railroaded it through”, said Richard Clifton, a wildlife artist and this year’s winner. His picture shows a single lesser scaup drake, and a lost duck call in the water beside it.

“I’m a pretty big-time waterfowl hunter, but I didn’t feel like [this rule] was necessary. Waterfowl hunters are going to buy the stamp regardless. [I’m not sure] why there’s a need to appease them,” said Clifton. “By mandating it, it puts a wrench into your design. Personally, I’d rather see the paintings be more about the duck.”

– Rasha Aridi in ‘It should be about the duck’: ire as new US nature stamps feature hunting gear

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56 COMMENTS

  1. What’s wrong with the painting?

    I have to believe this duck just killed a duck hunter and his calls are now floating outside of his blind. i mean, really! Look at that wry smile on the duck’s face- clearly he’s done something nefarious. That in and of itself ought to make many artist-types gleeful.

    Personally, I’d like to see a nice Parker G Grade in the pic somewhere. Or a Benelli SBE for the younger kids.

    • You’d love the short story I wrote “Hunt for Trophy Merganser” a satire of duck hunting. In it the bull merganser attacks the hunters.

    • “What’s wrong with the painting?”

      The painting clearly features a white supremacist, neo-nazi, Proud Boy’s duck 🦆 with a Trump-Pence yard sign holding an AR-14 assault rifle “for protection” while failing to take a knee!

      Seriously 😒, how’d you miss that? You also a racist????

      • “…while failing to take a knee!”

        Do ducks have knees? And do chickens have lips?

        The things I contemplate… (while waiting to humiliate trolls… 😉 )

  2. Oh no! My special needs and personal whims aren’t being met to the exacting standard that I made perfectly clear on Twitter. Time to start #cancelling people for doing something differently than I would have.

  3. This year’s? That’s not the current duck stamp. The current stamp features two Black Bellied Whistling Ducks.

    • Are Black Bellied Whistling Ducks in any way related to the infamous Yellow-Bellied Sap-Sucker?

      …and who put chocolate in my peanut butter?

      The things I contemplate… 😉

  4. What a bunch of privileged snowflakes…

    Some artists complained and it is worthy of a TTAG article whining about them expressing their opinion.

    You guys have taken “Muh Rites!” to a new low, hilarious.

    Pence says “This fly keeps buzzing around my head!“

    Aide says “That’s one of those flies that’s always flying around a horse’s ass.”

    Pence “Are you calling me a horse’s ass?”

    Aide “No sir, but it’s hard to fool them flies.”

    • Artists are kind of whiny and annoying. I do 3d graphics. I know lots of whiny artists. On minds.com I met an artist asking for money to pay rent so he could keep painting. I told him to get a job.

    • Going by your own statement then , you must have the largest swarm of flies ever recorderd, circling your head Miner49er.

      • Ain’t no bugs on me… Well, except for the occasional tick, them little suckers will dig in deep!

        But you must admit, we have video evidence of the Lord of the Flies sending one of his minions to light upon the head of his good and faithful servant Michael Pence for over two minutes, as Pence speaks, shouts and gesticulates madly.

        If you are a Bible believing Christian, who takes faith in the signs and portents spoken of in Scripture, you cannot ignore this clear sign of the Dark Lord’s favor.

        • Several of his aides were concerned that would be exactly what he would do.

          But Mother just gave him a stern look so he knew not to indulge in his appetites.

        • “Would have been cool if his tongue would have flicked out and snatched that flie like a frog.”

          Gold.

          Solid *GOLD* comedy in TTAG… *snicker* 😉

        • Wait, what bible passage says the dark lord uses flys as favors? And if that was the case, are you saying the dark lord picked Obama as well?

        • Given that I personally know Mr. Pence, he has no involvement with any dark lord. He’s an ardent supporter of the 2nd Amendment and religious freedom, for whatever religion you choose.

          More importantly, at least in terms of the upcoming election, he’s not one of the two on the D side who have promised to do everything in their power to gut 2A.

        • @Manse Jolly — In that NPR article it says:

          So what else could happen? Well a house fly (or is it a White House fly) could buzz the president even eventually landing on his upper lip during an East Room event.

          They got it wrong, so I heard recently on CNN. It was actually a white supremacist house fly.

  5. That’s just a beautiful painting.

    The artist b!tches about a mandated subject matter and has his painting selected as the winner.

    Just say, “thank you very much”, then STFU.

    • +1

      The artist, Richard Clifton, is definitely talented. Don’t understand his beef, he chose to participate under the existing rules and won.

  6. I see two duck calls not one, the duck needs to be belly up with its shiny leg band gleaming. Because we all know ducks taste like sht and the leg bands are the prize. I was always going to buy me a box of leg bands and make chain mail clothing, I’d be the envy of the Professionals. Chukka chukka quack quack

      • “… the duck needs to be belly up with its shiny leg band gleaming. Because we all know ducks taste like sht and the leg bands are the prize.”

        The Possum is nailing comedy broadsides today!

        What are you drinking today, Possum? I gots to know! 😉

  7. If I commissioned a painting, which is what USFWS did, I’d expect to have some input into the end result. If it were me I’d have mandated a shotgun in the painting and the ducks would have to be dead. And a lab. Got to have a dog in the pic.

  8. “The US Fish and Wildlife Service asked the artists entering this year’s duck stamp competition to work with theme, waterfowl hunting.”

    Makes perfect sense.

    Besides, damned quackers are just begging to be shot at, plucked, cleaned and cooked. It’s their own fault for being so darned tasty!

  9. Quack Quack…Blown out of the sky like a Japanese Zero and on to the dinner table. I have yet to ever find a call floating around. A composition like that is as rare as a Duck Billed Platypus in the Mojave Desert. Or the duck hunter is deceased and his corpse lies somewhere below the call much to the satisfaction of those who hate, hate, hate hunters.

    TRUMP/PENCE 2020.

  10. I don’t know what you guys are complaining about. I’m thrilled that the Left is so effeminate. Well, except for the women.

  11. The usual drama by the usual, offended-by-everything crowd. Worried about a damned duck hunting stamp.

    Besides, everyone knows it’s really *wabbit* season….

    • They would sell more stamps to even non-hunters if they had a topless babe with a wood duck sitting on each shoulder……..talk about a stamp to remember……….

  12. Well… they could just do away with the pretty stamp and use a boring text “DUCK”. Then none of the artists get to play.

    I’m confused why we subsidize the arts. If they’re any good, people will buy their work. If they suck, go find gainful employment.

  13. Posting a picture of a duckstamp without a shotgun and a dog, would be the same as posting a picture of a tampon without a string attached!

    Its just not right.

  14. I like ducks. Please don’t kill them, feed them bread at the park and say hi. That said, paintings and stamps are not on the list of things that offend me.

    • Feeding ducks bread leads to malnutrition, bad habits and dependency. You are not doing the ducks any favors. Most people do not know that it is bad, so no judgement directed to you.

      Think of it the same as aiding a drug addict, but worse because the ducks don’t know any better.

  15. The vast majority of the purchasers of duck stamp are who? Waterfowl hunters, of course! I see no conflict here with a waterfowl hunting theme when those folks are the vast majority of your market for this stamp. I mean, Jesus folks! Is even illustrating hunting forbidden now because some people can’t stomach hunting?

    Personally, I really like the stamp and kudos to the artist for such a beautiful work of art.

    • It is high time the so called “offended” and feeble folk were told to, ” get out of my office, get out of my courtroom, get out of my sight” and ” go where you wish and go to hell!

  16. WHO GAF about Fudds who don’t support America or the #2nd Amendment!?

    Mostly OLD Rich People who would not know the 2nd Amendment if it hit them in the face like a ton of bricks!

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